Search - Great Women Singers of the 20th Century - Nancy Wilson on DVD

Growlin' Her Way Thru The Songs

Lee Eng Kong | George Town, Penang Malaysia | 09/14/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Nancy Wilson is a beautiful woman. From her early cds on Capitol, I know she has a wonderful voice. Somewhere in the 80s, she suddenly became a very mannered singer and all the bad points are on ample display in this short concert. Why must she insist on growling her way through her songs just to sound bluesy? This results in a contorted exxpression on her face all the time. By the time this concert was staged, she has lost some of her vocal range. To compensate, she has resorted to weird phrasing in all the songs. Her hits are here but unrecognisable in the mess. In stark contrast, her Grammy-winning cd RSVP shows her in excellent voice and back to her 60s roots. Let's hope for a better concert in her next dvd if there is one."

Better that than nothing

Ravel | Montréal, Québec Canada | 04/12/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"One reviewer here (Lee, from Malaysia) was right on many accounts about this DVD and Ms Wilson: Mannerisms,growling,changed voice... And yet, I had to see it! There isn't very much video stuff with Wilson to see, so I thought, Let's go! I was sure she wasn't that bad (she is very very good on her 2 last albums w. Ramsey Lewis and her RSVP album.). She isn't a young thing anymore...
The first review, on top of it, a professional one, tells us about a great career and so many records with Capitol label, blahblahblah, the usual empty stuff you can find anywhere (and I mean anywhere on the net, try it!). Did somebody thought about warning us that this DVD has both an awful sound and filming? Is it believable that such a great singer, even if she camouflaged her aging voice (but not her talent), can be seen almost only in such a bad quality product? Who filmed that? Amateurs? Hey! Please, it was intended for a biography on her... It is better not done. BUT, it is better to see that than nothing.
This DVD is for die-hard fan only. Wanna see her in something better? Try the Carnegie Hall show she did, available on DVD. Still the mannerisms, etc (she seems to do that a lot Live, not as much on albums) but a pro job. She will surprise you.
Ms Wilson has retired approx. a year ago. I truly hope that she didn't see that DVD coming out on the market... Or that she said like me: Better that than nothing..."

This woman is brilliant

E. Pujic | 11/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"nancy wilson is one of the greatest singers alive.i
dont often right reviews but the only one was this
Lee eng kong. this concert captures the essence
of a remarkable artist who while yes mannered,
has an approach that is all her own. do ur
self a favor and see for yourself."

Not as I remembered her growin' up :(

Emmett Miller | AUSTIN, TX USA | 01/03/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Ahhh, the '60s and '70s! I was a mere teen! They were also the best years to acquaint myself with this gorgeous vocalist, while familiarizing myself with some of the best sung standards, ballads, and show tunes of that era, then accompanied by commendable jazz groups, big band leaders, lush orchestrations and strings arranged by such greats as Cannonball Adderley, Billy May, Oliver Nelson, Gerald Wilson, Sid Feller, and others! Sadly, those days are gone, and regretfully so has Nancy's style that I've become accustomed. This dismal show does little justice for Nancy. The poor club ambience is so dark and dreary the only people you see during the whole show is Nancy and her bassist, and an occasional profile shot of her piano player. The drummer, Roy McCurdy -- forget it. He's somewhere behind the scene, just over Nancy's left shoulder. The audience?? Absolutely no shots of the audience who occasionally applaud Nancy when she hits one of her spine tingling notes (which I can count on one hand). The poor audio engineer must have been asleep at the wheel since Nancy depends mostly on waving her microphone back and forth during her singing emitting this echoing, reverberating/wavering timbre that sometimes made my head spin. The song selection was just as dismal, and her medley of '60s/'70s hits (that made her famous) closed the show. I never much got into Nancy's music once she left Capitol Records, and there is nothing significant from her Columbia years, but seek her Japanese CDs on the Denon label, and that's as close as you get to hearing the best of Nancy, post Capitol. [Note: As an avid audiophile, I used the JAZZ CLUB audio setting on my receiver, backed by a 5.1 speaker setup, despite this item being produced in 2.0 stereo playback. Songs: Guess Who I Saw Today, Sweet Pumpkin, Save Your Love For Me, How Glad I Am, When Did You Leave Heaven, and a few medlies, timing in at 43 minutes for the complete show."